Sunday, December 13, 2015


(First published in The Dominion Post, December 11.)













Mark Hubbard said...

Wish you had a tweet button to promote posts like this Karl.

Yes to everything. Speaking from Marlborough wine country, paradise, I think there's enough anecdotal evidence to confirm the new wowser limit is badly impacting civilised rural hospitality. Albeit unscientific. Over the last year I can now think of four former winery restaurants we used to love, shutting down their restaurants and only serving the special functions trade. It's a sad damned thing. Life is partly about sun crisped afternoons relaxing with friends and family around food and wine - it's what makes living good, and we're having it taken from us without so much as a 'please will you sods stop doing this to us.'

Tinman said...

Worse still this "ad" does something very few advertisements do; it tells the truth.

An innocent young woman minding her business is attacked by a group of jack-booted military-types for no reason other than their desire to do so.

Add the fact that the law change increases the guilty-until-proven-innocent disgrace that NZ Police use at their whim and the whole concept is an anathema to freedom of individuals.

I commend you for publicising the point.

Brendan McNeill said...


Karl, I won't ask how you gained your insights into the Mormon Bishopric, except to suggest somewhat kindly, that your analogy is probably anecdotal.

But your point is well made. Interestingly, the Bible actually has something to say here: 1 Timothy 1:9 "We understand this: the Law isn’t established for a righteous person but for people who live without laws and without obeying any authority."

Which in this context reinforces your point that the women in the advertisement, and most of us who drink responsibly are being punished for the actions of an irresponsible few who pay no attention to these laws in any event.

The Scriptures encourage legislators to craft laws that do not punish the responsible but those who live irresponsible lives. Can we say that's the case with the current legislation?

Not that we pay any attention to the Scriptures these days, I mean why would we when the new 'Politically Correct' man knows best?

Aw shucks, but i'm sounding like a Bible basher. :-)

JC said...

The immediate effect on me last year was the amount of time I spent watching the speedo so I didn't exceed the 4km tolerance.. I found my awareness of danger suffered, ie, I was slightly less aware of what was happening around me. All it needed was for some idiot to do something whilst I was checking my speed and I would have lost over a second of reaction time.

It also increased those interminable car queues as older drivers slowed down even more and encouraged reckless overtaking.


hughvane said...

When the NZ Police culture embraced intimidation and oppression of the law-abiding public as part of its modus operandi was when I stopped supporting what they do ON THE ROADS. I do not drink and drive, simple as that, because the sort of luck I have would almost certainly ensure my getting caught, and, living where I do, and being so dependent on my vehicle, that would be catastrophic. All for the sake of road safety? Balderdash!